Using gardening as a metaphor for living... This blog is how some plants & flowers, creepy things, and the dead brought me back to life.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

...Agecroft, a witch trial, scapegoats & ponderings over a repetition of history...

By the pricking of
my thumbs,

Something wicked
this way comes.

~ Shakespeare, Macbeth, 4.1

I find it a bit strange that I have not
written about Agecroft more frequently. I have attended several events there
including Richmond Shakespeare performances (I believe an outdoor Shakespeare
performance was the first time that I attended Agecroft; it’s been so long that
I cannot recall); one of my first dates with my fella was picnicking before a
Shakespeare performance at Agecroft; and, the
Scarecrow exhibit, which I’ve written about and attended a few times.

Agecroft Hall has a 500-year-old past that
begins in Lancashire, England. A good amount of the history comes from deeds, and
royal letters dated between 1199 and 1926. Some of these documents are retained
today at Agecroft.

Originally built on land not far from the
city of Manchester, Agecroft was built over a period of many years with one of
the largest expansions occurring in the mid-1500s.

When Sir Robert Langley died in 1561, he was
the last of the male heirs in his family and left Agrecroft to his daughter,
Ann, who married William Dauntesey of London and Wiltshire. Thus, the house became
the property of the Dauntesey family.

At some point during the Industrial
Revolution, a railroad track was built a little too close to the building. This
helped deteriorate the grandeur of the place. There were a few attempts to modernize
the building which only led to the further destruction of Agecroft and in 1897
a fire destroyed the east and south wings.

The residents moved away and Agecroft was
left unoccupied from 1904 until 1925. At that point, it was put up for auction.
Purchased by a wealthy Richmonder, the
idea was for the home to be dismantled, brought to America, and then
reconstructed not necessarily on the original floor plan but on the idea of
establishing a functional home that was “reminiscent of its English predecessor.”
Costing $250,000 for reconstruction, not to mention the purchase price and
shipping, this was considered to be quite a large expense for the times.
Completed in 1928, the Richmonder, Mr. Thomas Williams, only had the chance to
live in Agecroft for one year. He died the following year. Like so many
generous Richmonders of that time, Williams stipulated that Agecroft would
become a house museum upon his wife’s death with the endowment for the museum
coming from Williams’s siblings.

Today, the museum is administered by the
Agecroft Association. It, along with its beautiful gardens, were opened to
the public in 1969.

My schedule has been so busy that this is the
first time I’ve actually had time to sit down and share my recent Agecroft
experience.

On September 22, 2016, I attended the event, “The
Peculiar Case of Jane Wentworth: A Witch Trial Based on Historical Texts” at Agecroft
Hall. The description of the event
includes:

Jane Wentworth is appealing her conviction of
Witchcraft. Join us at Agecroft Hall to witness a witchcraft trial based on
actual events from the time period. Hear from witnesses proclaiming the accused
guilt or innocence. See how those believed to be bewitched were
afflicted. Learn how hired witchfinders came up with their
“evidence” against the accused. Members of the audience will offer
testimony and then decide the fate of the accused witch.

The interactive performance was based on
several “historical documents” that the director altered, combined, and
compressed the timeline. Although the documents which were used were not named,
I found some of them after a bit of research.

The event began in one room that was by the
visitor ticket sales desk. Participants were seated. There was a request for
volunteers who would transform into witnesses and who would read from a script
during the trial; and, then there was a brief lecture. We were told that the
trial was based on trials in English and because during the time only gentlemen
who were landowners could sit on a jury, we all had to channel being male for
the evening. Unfortunately, they did not allow pictures so you have to believe me when I made the extra fussy face.

Much of the performance appeared to be from
the play The Last Witch (2012) written
by Kate Miller. Agecroft’s “Jane Wentworth” was actually Jane Wenham who died in
1730 and who had been on trial in England in 1712. The director noted that this
was the second to last witch trial in England.

The story began when “Wentworth” asked a
neighbor for some sticks and straw, which we later learned that she made into
art and sold to other neighbors to hang in their homes. When she was refused,
she left muttering; he perceived this to be curses which compelled him to pick
reeds from a dung heap.

Other accusations were made by a young girl
who was off in the woods far from home. When asked why she was not at home, she
accused “Wentworth” of bewitching her.These accusations led Wentworth to be put on
trial. When she was unable to touch the Bible while being sworn in, her
neighbors quickly noted that she had been unable to recite the Lord's Prayer on
a previous occasion.

The accused was brought before Sir John
Powell, an actual judge (1640-1713) in the case of Jane Wenham. When an
accusation was made that “Wentworth” was seen flying on a broom, the judge
remarked there was no law against doing so. Although Wentworth was convicted by
the jury, Powell set aside her conviction, suspending the death penalty, and
seeking a royal pardon from Queen Anne. This part of the performance came
directly from the Jane Wenham trial.

What most likely did not happen in 1712 occurred during the performance:
the judge gave a lecture regarding the accusations calling the neighbors
lazy and confused. He blamed them for looking for a scapegoat when they did not
do the work they were supposed to be doing. They blamed a widow whose only
means of survival was panhandling.

The actor who played Jane Wentworth also got
to speak out about the conditions of the time and how women whose husbands died
and could then own land were often a target. Similarly, accusations of
witchcraft were often made toward women who were outspoken.

While the Agecroft performance explicitly
focused on trials in England that were somewhat connected to the house before
it moved to the United States, Virginia has its own history of witchcraft
cases.

Although most conquer up the Salem Witch
trials when they consider colonial witchcraft, in 1626, Virginia was the first
of the colonies to see a formal accusation of witchcraft of Joan Wright out of
Surry County; and, in 1641, Virginia held the first trial with Mrs. George
Barker out of Norfolk.

Two cases, to me, are particularly
interesting. The first is with Katherine Grady who is considered the only person
who was ever executed for witchcraft in Virginia. Even with convictions,
Virginia officials were always hesitant about executing anyone convicted of
witchcraft (perhaps one tiny aspect of Virginia history that isn’t so
problematic). Ms. Grady’s case is particularly troubling because she had never
even set foot on Virginia soil. Instead, she was traveling on a ship headed for
the new colony from England when a fierce storm had the passengers seeking a
scapegoat. For whatever reason, the elderly Grady became that woman and she was
hung at sea. Because Virginia was the ship’s destination, the murder was under
the Virginia colony’s jurisdiction and the captain had to report this when the
ship arrived in Jamestown.

The second case came in 1698 when Grace
Sherwood, who was considered a bit eccentric for the times, had rumors spread
that she practiced witchcraft. Sherwood was a healer, an herbalist and a
midwife who allegedly “wore men’s trousers when planting crops” (Strock). Later,
she was accused of bewitching pigs and destroying crops. She was also accused of
“riding” a neighbor before escaping through a keyhole.

After several other allegations, Sherwood had
formal charges against her in 1706. She was searched for the marks of the
witch. Although none were found, she was ordered to a water ducking trial.
Basically, if her body floated to the surface she was guilty; and, if her body
sunk being accepted by nature, she was proven innocent. She survived and thus
was proven guilty of witchcraft. She was imprisoned for 8 years and then
released to live out the remainder of her life. Just ten years ago, in 2006, former Governor
Tim Kaine (who is now running for the office of Vice President for my
international friends)exonerated
Sherwood on the 300th anniversary of her trial.

I cannot
help but consider how the events of the past have a tendency to repeat
themselves. We look for scapegoats. We always have and we still do. This season,
there appears to be more of a focus on witches with “The Peculiar Case of Jane
Wentworth: A Witch Trial Based on Historical Texts” at Agecroft Hall; and, then
later my fella and I are going to Colonial
Williamsburg for the “Curse of the Sea Witch” event.

If you consider our current political
climate, you have to wonder if there isn’t some resonance. In my course on
vampires, I repeatedly say, “It’s never about the monster.” This emphasis on witches,
eccentric or simply working women who spoke up for themselves, isn’t actually about
witches. Let’s be honest; this is about women. From Title IX cases where rape
is considered acceptable based on a lack of jail time, to trying to ban access
to birth control and health services for women, to even the negative portrayal
of the feminist by a particular presidential candidate (God Help Us), there is
a serious war on women.

So to the women who were executed for
witchcraft, those who survived and lived in the woods, to those who survived
and were ridiculed for the remainder of their days, we are very much trying to
remember you. Even if these events are merely seen as entertainment, there is
history there. Let’s not let history repeat itself this time.

Haha, I'd have been in trouble even back in my early teens! Thanks, Sharon, I especially enjoyed this post. Women's struggles go on throughout history and on into the present. My oldest daughter is a prof of sociology at Mississippi State, and writes on gender and inequality; her focus is women in sports, but she reads all kinds of material relating to women in history. I think she would enjoy this post, and your blog in general.

Haha, I'd have been in trouble even back in my early teens! Spookiest girl in town! Thanks, Sharon, I especially enjoyed this post. Women's struggles go on throughout history and on into the present. My oldest daughter is a prof of sociology at Mississippi State, and writes on gender and inequality; her focus is women in sports, but she reads all kinds of material relating to women's issues in history. I think she will enjoy this post also.